Arlo & Esme

10/18/09

Cut the crap

by MeganInManhattan

Allegedly there has been good buzz surrounding Arlo & Esme lately, but after visiting I have no idea why. Their shtick is that this coffee shop by day turns into a club/lounge by night, which is clearly the most original concept ever...*sarcasm*. They even have a game room with a pool table and video games to remind guests that Arlo & Esme is quirky and oh so original. Though this place is overcrowded with boring people, somewhere along the line Arlo & Esme got the impression that they're a big deal and justified making patrons wait in line and pay a cover charge. Trust me, I don't even love paying cover at a hot club which this place is not. Though the downstairs portion plays decent music and has an interesting basement/dungeon decor, no dancing occurs (except for a few awkward drunken tools) due to the lack of space and magnitude of egos. Look around Arlo & Esme, in case you didn't notice this is the East Village where there are no sticks in asses.

meganinmanhattan dot com

• Pros: music...maybe?
• Cons: cover, people, attitude

09/15/09

wtf

by KAA

I have never written a review for one of these sites, but I really felt the need to say this. This used to be one of my favorite bars in NY. My friends and I used to go here all the time and we have even thrown several birthday parties here, buying bottles, etc. However, all of a sudden this bar was written up as being great in a few places and they think they are "so hot right now." This is not a club! This is not even an upscale bar! You should not be charging a cover. Your pretension just turned off some of your best customers and I won't be going back. I used to give arlo five stars for the great music and service, but now it just horrible and is super packed.

• Pros: great music
• Cons: cover?! here?!

08/25/09

Spare yourself the hassle; this place is not worth your buck

by poivre1954

This is the worst place I have been to in a while, honestly. The atmosphere felt college like and immature. The DJ is useless and perhaps Arlo & Esme should enroll him into a "Dance floor psychology" course. Or maybe hire another DJ? The drinks are ok but nothing to be impressed about and first and foremost be aware of the bouncers!! They are vicious!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Pros: bartenders are nice
• Cons: Bouncers are aweful

03/05/09

Terrible coat check, otherwise OK

by Grasshopper112

Last Satuday was my first time at Arlo & Ezme. There was a disappointingly long line but it moved fairly quickly, and the $5 cover wasn't too bad. Drinks were reasonably priced, although the plastic cups they used made the place seem like a cheap dive. Crowd was pretty good.

What really bugged me was the coat check: the girl had no idea what she was doing. She was rude to us and made us wait 10 min cos "there were no hangers." When we were leaving, we waited another 10 min as she couldn't find my friend's coat. And then she gave us a lecture about how we should be happy to wait and that it wasn't her fault. The customers behind us were complaining about her too, for similar reasons. The line of 6-8 ppl at the coat check ended up taking close to half an hour. WHAT???

• Pros: Reasonable drinks, good crowd
• Cons: Coat check, long line

01/23/09

arlo and esme

by talbotpray

i like arlo and esme,because it's got that little somethin something that's cute and bad ***simple. Not over done, it's my new favorite. Make out sessions galore. They give away a free bugaboo every birth, and the next subway series, for real, is going to be held in the downstairs room. Sonic youth,the cure, barak obama, audrey hepburn, kid koala are there, but you wouldn't know because they're in the i'm in the downstairs room mode. Beat the arcade high score and i'm sure you get something good. my mother loved the owners," just adorable, those two." not the typical **** hole.definitely a new swank for those in the know.

09/29/08

awesomeeeeee

by sapphire922

i LOVE this place. I had my birthday here, went to another friend's bday, and also came here to dance at my friend's bachelorette. Every time, it was a great crowd, never too packed. Everyone in the parties always had so much fun and couldn't stop talking about how much they like the bar and atmosphere. DJ is great, playing a mix of indie, throw back hip hop, current hits, etc. Great decor, different rooms downstairs- dance floor, bar, pool tables. Drinks are reasonably priced and strong enough. Highly recommend for a fun night!!

• Pros: great, diverse crowd; excellent DJ
• Cons: sometimes there's a line to get in if you don't get there early

09/08/08

Cheesy Music, Slow Servie, Rude Staff

by Zots3000

It took me 5 mins to cut through the crowd to get downstairs. Once I got there it took 15 mins to get a drink. When I finally did get a drink it was a weakly poured Gin and Tonic in an 8 Oz glass, filled with ice for 7 bucks.(I asked for Vodka Club Soda. When I told the bartender she just looked at me with a blank stare for a second and walked away). I'm going to estimate that there was about 4 oz of liquid in that drink and about 0.5 oz of that was liquor. I had to start ordering 2 drinks at a time because I finished the first one before the bartender got back with my change.

Then I went outside to smoke a cigarette. Bad idea. I was outside for about 10 seconds before the bouncer informed me that I couldn't smoke in front of the bar because the neighbors complained about noise a lot. I guess their realtor didn't explain to them that there are 7 bars on this street.

He directed me to an area a half block away from the bar where it was okay to smoke. On my way back to the bar I started typing a text message and stopped walking briefly to read it over before sending it. The same bouncer approached me and asked me "how many times am I going to have to tell you you can't hang out here". I tried to explain to him, politely, that I wasn't making any noise and that I would send it and be inside in 5 seconds. He rudely replied "That's all cool but you can't do it here, either go across the street, over there (points to the spot a half block away) or don't come back at all". I guess he was worried that the sound of me typing on my blackberry would wake the neighbors. I tried to explain to him that he had made more noise asking me to move then I had made typing my text but he couldn't understand that.

I went inside and got my buddies. I would be damned if I would give this place a penny of my hard earned money. We promptly finished our drinks, all 4 ounces of them, and left the bar. I will NEVER in my life go back there for any reason. ZERO STARS!!!

• Pros: None
• Cons: All

Catering to dual addictions, this coffee shop by day transforms into a boisterous, cocktail-serving boite by night.

by Joshua M Bernstein

Get juiced on java, then take the edge off with a little liquor at this split-level spot that's a coffee house during daylight and a full-scale bar and lounge later on. The upstairs is a sun-dappled cafe, while the 4,000-square-foot basement is a nightlife playpen containing a pool room, Ms. Pac-Man machine and nightly DJs spinning sweet beat science. To put you in the proper dancing mood, knowledgeable bartenders craft spot-on renditions of classic libations like the old-fashioned and the Manhattan ($9).

Hits: Come during the day and you'll savor strong coffee and plenty of space to sprawl out; after dark, you'll sip expertly prepared classic cocktails and dance until the wee hours.

Misses: Though some nights are crazy packed, other evenings are so quiet and slow you'll often wonder if you've wandered into a bona fide ghost town.

Photo by Peter Cuce (http://www.flickr.com/photos/aranciaproject/2420315150/in/photostream/)